Easy like Sunday morning

If you could fill out a form, complete with checkboxes, Columns A & B, and all the rest, you couldn't have requested a better day for running than this morning. No wind, sun shining, fall colours, cool but not cold. I felt bad ending the run at 8 miles, but that's what the plan says, and I'm not smarter than the plan. I hope this holds up for a few more weeks. Not likely, but a boy can dream.

Run: 3 miles @ 145 bpm, 5 miles @ 150 bpm

Early Christmas, Part One

I got new stuff today, although I've had my wife put it away to "surprise me" with the gift in a few months time. With getting a new bike next year, I'll need to get new pedals, and if I'm getting new pedals, I'll need new shoes. So after going through some online reviews, I came to be quite taken with the Louis Garneau Tri Air shoe. I had planned on ordering them sometime in the next couple of months, but out of curiousity, checked eBay to see if I could pick them up for cheap. No luck, but I did find the Louis Garneau CARBON Tri Air, a model up, in my size, for the same price as the regular shoe. So I had to buy them. It was at gunpoint basically. They arrived today.

To quote Ferris Bueller: "They are so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend you pick them up."

Early Christmas, Part Two will happen in two weeks at the Toronto Bike Show Fall Sale. I already have my shopping list.

Turnover

This morning was a race-pace 6 mile effort on the treadmill. I prefer the treadmill for this type of workout since I am forced to hold the pace, and it continues without distraction: no traffic, no streets to cross, no headwinds. It felt pretty good. I definitely could have kept up the pace for a few more miles. Another 20? Not yet, but soon.

I've been playing with my breathing patterns lately. My standard breathing pattern is 4-4, dropping to 3-3 when the pace picks up. Daniels recommends against the 4-4, saying it's inefficient and too much effort for the lungs. So I've tried the shorter breaths, which feel OK, but when I'm not focused on the breathing, I fall back to 4-4 or 4-3. I'll continue testing things, but unless I see I dramatic improvement, I'm not going to push too hard to change my natural rhythms. The best result of the morning was that every time I checked my cadence, I was 182-184 steps/minute.

Run: 6 miles @ 7.6 mph, 5 min cooldown

Last night's commute home took a bit more out of my legs than I'd hope for. Stiff wind, out of the NW. Since my ride is 99% either north or west, the only way the wind could have been more in my face is if it shifted 90 degrees every time I turned. Head/crosswind to cross/headwind the entire ride. Less than fun.

With less than two months until the move, this morning I figured out how to disassemble the treadmill so that I can move it. I'm going to study the directions pretty thoroughly, since the weekend of the big move, I have a 20 mile fast finish run on Sunday, and need the t-mill for that. I can't afford missing my first 20 miler because I can't assemble some machinery.

Numb

Upper body - vertical: light
Chaosbringer 2x4/75 lbs
Pullups 2x7+13/assisted
Military press 2x25/38 lbs
Prehab circuit x12

Climbing the ladder

Tonight I went for round on the trainer. After a quick warm-up and my one-leg work (I am slowly smoothing out the dead spot on my left leg), it was time for ladders: 1-4 minutes at 120% of FTP, with equal rest:work, times two. So, 1 min hard, 1 easy, 2 hard, 2 easy, etc, all up to 4 minutes, then start again from 1. After the two minute effort, I knew I wouldn't be able to finish the workout at that intensity, so I scaled the efforts back to 110% FTP. This may be due in part to the recalibration of the i-Magic, or due to an overestimation of my abilities. At the end of the workout, I knew I had done a lot of good work, but wasn't quite dead. In reading Daniels' Running Formula, one of the things he stresses to to to do the minimum work required for the necessary response. I was working to maintain the efforts, but not fighting. I was breathing hard and having to focus, but I wasn't on the brink of sick. That's about where I should be right now. Finsihed the workout with some sprints, then a quick two miles transition run on the treadmill.

Bike: warm-up, one-leg drills, 2x1-4 min ladders, 1:1 w/r + 4 sprints @ 53/15, 4 sprints @ 53/13, cooldown
Run: 2 miles @ 6.5 mph

Voices

Upper body - horizontal: medium
Chaosbringer 2x4/75 lbs
Row 3x8/115 lbs
Pushup 3x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing

Summer breeze

I'm not one to quote Seals and Crofts song titles very often, but it describes today. Even though we are officially past the autumnal equinox, today was warm (high of about 30), humid (~70%), and windy (20-30 km/h winds). All that makes for a tougher run that I would have liked. Today felt so SLOW. Based on a rough estimate of the time, it was SLOW. It's a bit disappointing to have a backwards step like this, but I know it's from the above factors, and possibly some residual fatigue, and not anything serious. If it's not cleared up by the weekend, then it becomes an issue. I'd be very surprised if that's the case, though.

Run: 3 miles @ 145 bpm, 3 miles @ 150 bpm

Radio/Video

Upper body - vertical: heavy
Chaosbringer 2x4/75 lbs
Pullups 8x3/+20 lbs
Military Press 8x3/85 lbs
Prehab circuit x12

Frazz

One of my favourite comics is Jef Mallett's Frazz. Far too often, it reminds me of my own life.

Like today.

One day later

After a day of letting it settle in, I'm pretty chuffed with how the race went yesterday. The bike could have gone better, but the run was much faster than expected. I didn't think I'd have the gas to turn 5 miles of ~7 min/mile, even if they were split up. Looking back on the schedule, I've been back to running for only five weeks, to a grand total of 71 miles (as much as one solid week in the old days). Out of that, I've done 1 mile at that speed, everything else has been at aerobic efforts, ~9 min/mile. So, a healthy diet of base work, plus the occasional high-intensity effort on the bike, have left a bit of speed in the legs. I can't wait to see the results of another 4 months of this, then another 8 months after that.

After the race yesterday, I spent part of the afternoon touring the streets of NOTL, then another portion of the afternoon lost trying to find the QEW. Then I stayed up late watching UFC, and getting wired on Diet Dr. Pepper. So this morning I wasn't in great shape, but the schedule had a treat for me. A long run, but not any long run: a Greg McMillan Fast Finish Long Run. These are probably my favourite workout of all running workouts. I prefer doing these on the treadmill, since I can set my pace exactly without markers. The "easy" miles to start the workout were slower than they should be from residual tiredness, I'm sure, plus some potential overheating. Then I brought it up to target speed for both legs of the Goofy Challenge. Felt good. I could feel myself put in an effort over the last few miles. A few months of this every few weeks, and I'll be cruising in January.

Run: 4 miles @ 145 bpm (~6.2 mph), 4 miles @ 150 bpm (~6.4 mph), 3 miles @ 7.6 mph (~166 bpm)

I am so tired right now.

NOTL Duathlon Race Report

I guess I am now officially a multisport athlete, having participated in an event of more than one discipline. Luckily, it was the two events that I'm (supposed to be) good at: running and biking. I didn't have any huge goals for the day since I'm barely in run shape, and who knows what will happen on the bike. There were, however, three plans I had, one for each section of the 4 km run/ 23 km bike/ 4 km run race.
1. Take it easy on the first run. Treat it as a long day run, pay no mind to other people's paces, and leave lots in the tank for second run.
2. Score at least +10 on the bike (pass ten more people than pass me).
3. Let it all hang out on the last run, to get a good estimate of the threshold HR. Hopefully crack 18 minutes (prefer 17:30).

Now let's recap the race and see how well the goals were met.
The gun went off, I settled into my pace, lost one of my Powergels out of my pocket, was getting passed, and, within 300m, completely abandoned my plan. I'm too competitive to let someone I believe should be slower than me run away from me. So I went much harder than I planned. This led to a sidestitch, which I haven't experienced in years. I don't think I got one during the marathon training. I held tough, knew it would disappear during the bike, and got things done to transition. (Mission one: failed)

I had a relaxed transition, both times, which cost me later, but it's all a learning experience. As I was heading out for the bike, I was held up by an official who wanted the chinstrap of my helmet tighter. After messing with that for a minute, I was off. I settled into my rhythm pretty quick, turned the gear over well, got passed by a few, but passed a bunch more. After the helmet issue, I was too distracted to keep count, but I'm sure I hit my goal. i-Magic lies about power. If I could turn the power they claimed, I'd be much faster on the bike. I'm not disappointed by the result, I probably could have done more, but it is what it is. Headwinds suck for little guys, especially ones on a road frame. (Mission two: accomplished)

After another slowish transition, I was out for the last run. I now knew the markers, so I could mentally tick off the ground covered. I felt good coming off the bike, and kept a good pace. I did a lot more passing here than I did on the bike. My only disappointment was with 1 km to go, I had three guys I had been running down just a few yards ahead., and I couldn't close the gap. I don't know if it was a lack of legs, or a lack of killer instinct (I remember thinking how much it would suck to get clipped that close to the line, and might have backed off doing it). That cost me a few places and a few seconds. In all though, I gave pretty much everything I had. According to the results, I did 17:47 (I was 17:19 for my "relaxed" first leg). I did have a much better last leg compared to the rest of the field, so that's a nice result. My "grip" on pace has always been a strength, so it's good that's still around. I'm not fast, but I don't slow down. (Mission three: accomplished)

In summary, a good day. As I was finishing the first leg, I saw Claire and as I passed her, just rolled my eyes. Why do I do this to myself? What a stupid event. By the end, I was thinking, "I need to do this again." An absolute blast. This is the first time in a LONG time I've been in the bottom half of my age group results (26/47), but I'm OK with that. Those guys in front of me probably had more than a month of aerobic running in their legs, and a more concentrated effort on tempo work will pay off in spades over the winter. (So will the investment in a TT bike :)

Big thanks to the folks at Birdsong Chalet B&B for putting us up for the night, and huge thank you to my wife, cheerleader and sherpa. I couldn't do it without you.

Official results

Burn

Last session before the race. Just a quick bit of high-rep work to keep the upper body loose, and work on some muscular endurance. Tomorrow is the first time in a while that counts, so a good night's rest is required. I'll be heading out the door for NOTL right after I finish this post. I'll be back to post a race report sometime tomorrow, after enjoying the day with my wife in NOTL.

Upper body - horizontal: light
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 2x20/85 lbs
Diamond push-ups 2x25/no weight
Prehab circuit x12

Prep

With the duathlon (and my premiere as a multi-sport athlete) this weekend, I decided tonight would be a good time to work on my steady-state endurance on the bike with a sixty minute tempo effort. I know most people get bored with this type of workout, but it's right in my wheelhouse, so to speak. Once I find my comfortable cadence and breathing pattern, I can hold that sort of effort all day. Then, after the solid effort on the bike, I jumped onto the treadmill for a brief two miles, just to see how the legs feel after that sort of effort. Answer: felt pretty good. So I am feeling confident going into this weekend. Not that I'll win or anything like that, but I should make a respectable showing, and not self-destruct on the course.

Bike: Warm-up, one leg drills, 60 mins tempo @ 255-265w, cooldown
Run: 2 miles @ 6.5 mph

Drydock, redux

The original plan was to have two workouts today: my usual session of weights, then off to the pool for my first swim in this new endeavour. The first half of that plan went well, but the second ... not so much. After packing my gear, getting some food in the system, and driving to the aquatic centre, turns out it's closed for maintenance until Sept. 28. So much for that plan. I'll try again in two weeks.

Upper body - vertical: medium
Chaosbringer 2x4/75 lbs
Pullups 2x9, 1x7
Military Press 2x10, 1x9/65 lbs

Little post

Run: 2 miles @ 145 bpm, 3 miles @ 150 bpm

Break You

Upper body - horizontal: heavy
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Barbell Row 8x3/135 lbs
Pushup 8x3/30 lbs + 120 lbs tubing
Prehab circuit x12

Turnover

When I woke up this morning, I was a bit unsure how the run was going to go. Yesterday was the first uptempo run of the season, so recovery was questionable. Luckily, everything was A-OK. After a light breakfast and a bit too much coffee*, off I went. The first 5 miles felt kind of slow, and more than a little choppy. I just couldn't find my stride. Then, when I picked up the effort for the second half, everything smoothed out, the pace was quick and the effort was light. It seemed like there was a transition point, as speeding up the choppy stride was raising my heart rate to 147-148 bpm, but a little more speed and a longer stride, and the heart rate dropped back down to 145. Interesting little phenomenon, that. Even better, a rough estimate of the time had me 3-4 minutes faster over 10 miles than last week. I enjoy this "getting faster" thing. It's good times.

Run: 5 miles @ 145 bpm, 5 miles @ 150 bpm

* I think I need to stop drinking coffee before the long runs. When you're scheduled for 10, and start feeling a unbearable pressure around mile 4, that's not fun. In a residential neighbourhood with no back lanes, it's tough to distract yourself for that long.

Brand New Low

This morning was the first tempo run of the year. Same distance as Tuesday, but the pace was quicker, "marathon" pace. My HR seemed higher than it should have been given the effort, but I'm convinced my LTHR is up where it used to be, in the low 180s. Cardiac drift took my HR from high 150s to low 170s over the course of the run. Still, everything felt good.

Run: 5 miles on treadmill, 7.6 mph

Peace Sells

Upper body - vertical: light
Chaosbringer 2x4/75 lbs
Pullup 2x6+14/assisted
Military Press 2x25/38 lbs
Prehab circuit x12

Countdown

One year ... 366 days ... that's the time I have to get ready. One year to learn to swim well-enough to survive 1.2 miles in the water. One year to get strong enough on the bike that 56 miles at a good clip still leaves plenty of gas in the tank. One year to rebuild my run so that I can run fast, I can run tired, and I can run fast tired.

There will be challenges over the next year, with moving, some travel, family issues, and training issues. Already, I know that swimming will become harder with the pool closures. I might not be able to continue bike-commuting once winter hits, and that's 5 free hours of aerobic work every week. Still, I'll find ways through and around, because I have no other choice. One year.

My education in the sport (or all three sports) continues. Where I may be lacking physically, I'll make it up mentally. By training smarter, I'll train harder, and I'll outperform those with greater gifts, and I'll outperform my own imagination. I have to rein in my enthusiasm, and temper my disappointment in current efforts. Patience is the key. The race isn't tomorrow. One year.

I have goals for that day (none to be disclosed now), and a plan to achieve them. Piece by piece, hour by hour, mile by mile, I'll chip away at the block until I've sculpted something that can accomplish what I'm setting out to do. My calendar of work for the next 4 months has been filled out. Every day, every effort, already recorded in ink. Plan the work, work the plan.

For one year.

Race winning efforts

Back in the saddle for my once-weekly dose of intensity, courtesy of the bicycle. Tonight we brought out an old favourite: race-winning efforts. A full sprint up to speed, keep a hard pace for 30 seconds to make the break, hold on for 3 minutes, then a final sprint to the line. Translated into power, it's 30 seconds at 200% FTP with the sprint up to 300%, 3 minutes at 110%, then a sprint back up to 200%. Rest for 8 minutes, and repeat for a total of 5 intervals. What a horrible way to spend an hour and a half. What a payoff I'll get next spring with new strength.

Bike: After 10 minute warm-up and 10 minutes one-leg drills, 5xRWE with 8 minute rest, 10 minute cooldown
Then, Run: 2 miles @ 6.5 mph to feel what legs will feel like after a hard effort

The ride was tougher than expected. I think the change in tire and calibration affected enough that I was struggling to keep the efforts where they were supposed to be. I guess that's just motivation to hammer it out harder next time.

Clouds Over California

Upper body - horizontal: medium
Bear 2x4/75 lbs
Row 3x8/115 lbs
Pushup 3x8/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing

Breezy

There was a bit of a wind out this afternoon. It makes it tough to control the HR when you can cruise along with a tailwind, then round a corner and have to change your stride to keep the HR down. Still, another successful run, with low beats, and ever-increasing speed.

Run: 5 miles - 2 miles @ 145 bpm, 3 miles @ 150 bpm

Reborn

Back in the weight room. Today was the first time I've worked out after work in in a few years. I've gotten accustomed to the early morning exercise. I felt a bit sluggish all day, but things went smoothly in the gym. Not a huge rebound from the rest week, but numbers went up.

Upper Body - Vertical: heavy day
Chaosbringer 2x4/75 lbs
Pullups 7x3/+20 lbs, 1x2/+20 lbs (+1 rep unweighted)
Military press 8x3/85 lbs
Prehab circuit x12

Drydock

I was thinking about starting my swim training tonight. Since my "swimming lessons" will begin in November, I figured that a few weeks of once/twice-weekly practice would get me ready, and I wouldn't embarrass myself too badly when I first show up, turning "flailing madly" into "flailing subtly". Not a bad plan, eh?

Then the city government got involved.

I was checking out the schedule, and learned that the Douglas Snow Aquatic Centre is closed this week for annual maintenance. OK, I can live with that, since it must be done. Pushes things back a week, but no biggie, right? A bit more research, and it's soon discovered that due to budget shortfall, all indoor city pools are closed on Mondays from now until the end of the year. Excuse me? So my plan of Monday-Friday swimming is right out the window. Even bigger, what does this mean for my coaching, where I signed up for the 2x/week, Monday-Friday schedule? I'm still waiting to hear confirmation I'm in the class, so I'll continue to wait to hear what happens when there's no pool in November.

This will make training interesting for a while. Maybe just Wednesdays. Maybe Tuesday-Thursday after run and bike work. Maybe I'll just run as fast as I can into a crotch-level post.

Double digits

After a bit of a late night, and an early wake-up call, this morning was my first run into double digit mileage. Not deep into that jungle, at 10 miles, but crossing that threshold. Not bad for stumbling through 4 miles just 2.5 weeks ago. Rain let off about 20 minutes before I left, so it was a beautiful, cool morning for a run. I'll keep saying this after almost every run, but I can feel things coming together. Again, ran a bit faster at my HR caps, and the stride felt smoother, longer, and more powerful. There's a ways to go, but I'm moving down the right path.

Run: 10 miles - 5 miles @ 145 bpm, 5 miles @ 150 bpm

Yesterday I picked up a copy of Daniels' Running Formula, so I have some reading material to keep me busy for a while. This run-focus block, lasting 4 months, will pay off big next year with the huge base. Then I'll need to intelligently add the intensity to get the top-end.

Moving to the country

... to my brand-new, fully furnished Cottage of Wattage.

Since the next four months will only have one serious bike ride per week, this morning was the last chance to perform an FT test to set the intensity levels for those bike workouts. FT test day sucks. It is an unbelievable world of hurt. After warm-up, five minutes of all-out, bleed from your eyes effort. Rest for ten minutes, then twenty minutes of all-out, heart in your throat, legs burning pain. But the day went (relatively) well. I'm not too happy about the result of the 20 minute effort, but I gave as much as I could muster this morning, and it is a PR. I was just hoping for more. Wait until January, and I'll crush these numbers, even with only one session per week. Smart, hard training.

Bike: FT test - 5 min TT=371.2w (PR by 19.4), 20 min TT=315.8w (PR by 4.6), FT=300.01 (woo-hoo! I cracked 300w!). Weight=65kg, W/kg @ FT=4.62
THEN, 90 min of over/under: 4 x (10 min @ 210w, 10 min @ 270w) + 10 min cooldown

Same as it ever was

Last day of the rest week, and finally a day where everything felt ridiculously easy. After the dehydration last night, I was a bit concerned about performance this morning, but everything was strong. I can't wait for Monday and starting to lift heavy (for me) again.

Upper Body : EZ
Movement prep
Bear 2x3/75 lbs
Chaosbringer 2x3/75 lbs
Pullup 3x5
Military Press 3x5/65 lbs
Barbell Row 3x5/115 lbs
Pushup 3x5/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing

Now we rest until tomorrow, when the FTP test is scheduled. I need to set up the training zones for the next four months. I think the 1990 Tour de France will be the appropriate motivational tool while on the trainer. Lemond's third, Bauer in yellow for 9 days, Big Mig's rise, Gianni Bugno on Alpe d'Huez. Let's see if I can dial it up to 400w.

Warmer

Tonight's run after work was much warmer and more humid than it has been for the past few weeks. I was sweating quickly, dehydrated by mile 2 (and too stubborn to stop and get a drink as I passed the house), and pace felt like it was affected (although looking at the clock after leads me to think it wasn't much). Still, I kept the HR down, and legs turned over OK. I finished all that was expected, so the day is a success.

Run: 6 miles - 3 miles @ 145 bpm, 3 miles @ 150 bpm

Another easy day

Not too stiff after the quick run last night. Too much caffeine in the evening kept me up for a while at night. Some light work to get the blood moving in the morning.

Upper Body : EZ
Movement prep
Chaosbringer 2x3/75lbs
Bear 2x3/75 lbs
Barbell Row 3x5/115 lbs
Pushup 3x5/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing
Pullup 3x5
Military Press 3x5/65 lbs

Frustration

Since I'm starting a new block of training, and since I hadn't done it in 6+ months, yesterday I rotated the tires on the trainer wheels. The rear tire was getting a bit slick, and the front was untouched, so it was time for a switch. With the change, and for setting up training zones for the next 5 months, I was going to re-do the i-Magic calibration tonight.

The original plan was to calibrate, then do a brick, with 2x30 min @ 80% FTP, then run 2 miles @6.5 mph. This didn't happen. I warmed up the trainer for over 30 minutes, at unknown wattage (but it was harder than it should have been), then it tried to calibrate when I got out of the saddle and accelerated to relieve some pressure "down below". I knew the result couldn't be right, so I started playing with it, and even though it says "Keep speed at 30 km/h", it lies. If you do that, it sits. If you accelerate over 33 km/h, it kicks in. So after a number of attempts and adjustments to the tension on the rear wheel, I ended up at the same calibration factor as I had before. Joy.

This process took me over an hour, and I wasn't in the mood to do a second TT effort, so I punched out a quick 5 minute effort at 250w, then switched shoes and hopped on the treadmill. The plan to sit at a relaxed 6.5 mph last one mile. Then it was upped to 7 mph. Then I decided I needed another mile, this one at 8 mph, but halfway through that mile, the pace went up again to 8.5 mph. So much for all LSD training, and so much for a rest week.

(Although it felt REALLY nice to stretch my legs out for a while. I could've held that 8.5 for a long time at 4-4 breathing, so the endurance and strength is there. I may be adjusting my marathon pacing in a month or two.)

Bike: assorted efforts and times. I really haven't a clue of specifics.
Run: 1 mile @ 6.5 mph, 1 mile @ 7 mph, 1/2 mile @ 8 mph, 1/2 mile @ 8.5 mph, 5 minute cooldown

Shopping

On Saturday, I made my first trip to Enduro Sport, the local spot for multisport gear. I needed a few of the essentials for this new game, and after drooling over some of the suh-weet Cervelo rigs, I gathered some new pieces for my collection of equipment. A proper swimsuit will be an upgrade from my boardshorts, and I'll probably be faster. Tri-shirt and shorts should be comfy on the bike, without feeling like I'm wearing a diaper on the run. Since I had so confidently gathered all my purchases, as I was checking out, the clerk said, "So, you've been here before?" I guess I look the part, at least. Probably was the Rudy Project shades and my NYC marathon tune-up shirt. They didn't know how slow I'd run the next day.

I've got goggles, a bike, and some shoes ... now what?

Kind of a rest week

With next week being the start of the 18 week marathon plan, this week is for a little bit of rest. But since I'm not very good at really resting, it's more of a back-off week for volume than anything else. Still, even if it's Labour Day, and I get the day off, the alarm rang out at 6 am and I was back in the weight room.

Upper Body : EZ
Movement prep
Bear 2x3/75 lbs
Chaosbringer 2x3/75 lbs
Pullup 3x5
Military Press 3x5/65 lbs
Barbell Row 3x5/115 lbs
Pushup 3x5/30 lbs + 80 lbs tubing

Getting faster slowly

Another Sunday, another slow run. Given that it has only been four runs so far, I'm pretty happy about how my form is falling into place. I just wish the pace was a bit quicker. I hoping that one morning I'll head out and suddenly be clipping sub-7 minute miles at a 150 HR. Probably won't happen, but a boy can dream ...

Run: 8 miles - 3 miles @ 145 bpm, 5 miles @ 150 bpm

Andiamo

Today was the last of the Fantasyland rides for a few months. The RLVs are fun, but at 2+ hours per, are too long and intense for the work I need to be doing for the next few months. After Christmas I'll break them back out and hopefully surprise myself with newfound speed.

For the last spin, I headed out to tackle the middle portion of the Tour of Lombardy route. This section uses the climbs of the Madonna di Ghisallo and the Colma di Sormano. Two big climbs, bookended by rolling terrain for almost 70km. Still, I'm building strength all summer, and set more records again.

Bike: Giro di Lombardia RLV - 69.2 km, 2:11:35 (CR), 251w avg (CR), +10 min warm-up, 10 min cooldown